Dragonball Z Destiny
by SuperKayJin
Summary: The Power to change Fate is in his hands...This is the story of Son Gohan. AU detailing Gohan's life from boy to Hero
1. Chapter 1: Beginning

DRAGONBALL Z

DESTINY/FATE VARIANCE

CHAPTER 1

HYBRIDS

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its related characters, techniques, locations, races…etc.

**Earth**

**Remote Mountains**

The old man saw the streak of light coming down from the sky. The thunderous crash reverberated across the mountain. He began to make his way towards the point of impact, not knowing what he would find, but knowing that he had to go there any way. He found a deep impact crater more than a mile wide and at its epicentre the cause of the crater was plain too see.

A white silver pod was buried in the ground, and the wispy smoke coming from it was a clear testament to the intensity of its entry into Earth. He could see two lines on the front of the pod and a round glass window between them, indicating that it was the hatch. There was also a V like symbol painted on the front of the hatch. His observations were interrupted when he heard a loud hissing and he saw the steam coming from the door. It was no doubt depressurizing the contents and whoever or whatever was in there would soon be coming out.

The hatched opened… but nothing came out, instead he heard a loud wail. The sound did not startle him as much as he would have thought and instead of walking away he began to make his way down to the pod.

The wail seemed to increase as he came closer but he could not see the occupant of the ship. The steam and smoke was still obscuring his view. A sudden breeze cleared all the smoke and steam and the old man was finally able to see the inside of the ship.

A small naked baby was seated in the pod, wailing its lungs out. It had thick, wild spiky hair that shot out in different directions. The most striking feature about the child was the long, furry brown tail that came from his back.

Son Gohan in all of his years had never seen the like…

He took the boy out of the pod determined to give him a good home, because he had no children himself he wanted to leave a Legacy behind in the boy. It was a shame that the child did not agree with him. He was wild and aggressive and this was not helped by his incredible strength. For an infant he had more strength than most of the trained martial artists on Earth. If it was not for his own training he would have been overwhelmed by the boy very easily.

As it was though he was able to subdue him and the boy fell asleep and with some trouble he got them both out of the crater and towards his home, with the child on his back

It was on the way there that the clouds in the sky parted and the full moon came into view. Gohan suddenly felt the boy's weight increase and his tail began to thrash wildly, the boys weight became so great that he had to put him down. When he turned to get a good look he was shocked to see that the boy's body was now covered in thick brown fur and his size was increasing.

The boy suddenly woke up and his eyes locked onto something in the sky and they turned red. Gohan followed the boy's line of sight and it ended at the full moon. He heard heavy snorts and grunts coming from the boy and he turned to see that the boy had grown long fangs, even more hair and his size had more than doubled.

Luckily for him the moon's light was obscured by an unnatural darkness.

Son Gohan had experienced this kind of darkness before and one word came to his mind

_Shenron…_

He breathed a prayer to Kami, scooped up the boy whose transformation had reversed very quickly. He channelled his Ki and sped away towards his home, leaving a huge plume of dust in his wake.

Son Gohan breathed a sigh of relief as he made it to his home. He set the child down on his sofa and made his way to his room to retrieve the long piece of cloth that he made his clothes.

After several minutes he emerged with a yellow body suit for the boy with a small hole for his tail. He dressed him in the clothes and then picked him up and put him in a pallet that was next to his own.

Laying there he thought about, fate and destiny. He had never started a family preferring a quiet life of solitude in the mountains but now it seemed that fate had delivered to him a son… no a grandson… and from what he could feel, the boy had a great destiny ahead of him.

_Goku… Son Goku_ _will be his name. A good name, a strong name_. He had lain down on the pallet next to the boy and he turned his head to look at him.

He smiled at the peacefully sleeping boy and soon he himself went to sleep…

_16 Years Later_

**Capsule Corporation HQ**

She was in her father's laboratory, having just gotten an idea for a good invention. Even though it was technically her fathers she used it more than him. She was seeing it as a sign of things to come. She was getting older and more mature and it was only a matter of time before she became the head of Capsule Corp.

The idea for her current invention had come to her while she was in the kitchen with her mom. Her mother had handed her a tray of her famous cookies and she accidentally touched it without an oven mitt. The pain had been a trigger because it made her realize that on their planet there were no metals strong enough to withstand intense temperature and pressure. If somehow she could create an alloy powerful enough to stand up to a Ki blast from her best friend Goku then she could construct a powerful training tool for them.

She was currently in front of some test tubes in the lab experimenting with some lead. She had remembered to put up the 'Genius Work' sign outside the door which meant that she would not be easily disturbed and so the lab was very quiet. She was concentrating intently on the experiment in front of her.

Because she used it so much Bulma had gotten into the habit of storing a lot of her stuff in the lab and as fate would have it she had recently placed the Dragon Radar in one of the drawers, knowing that no one could get to it due to the privacy of the lab.

It was her greatest invention and even though she was not actively searching for the Dragonballs she still kept it activated.

Her concentration was broken by a familiar ping… she looked to the drawer where she had placed the Radar. Moving away from her work she made her way to the device. She picked it up and heard it ping again. She was surprised that it activated because it was not so long ago that the Dragon had been restored following the Tenkaichi Budokai, where Goku had defeated Piccolo. She studied the screen and saw that the Radar was not detecting a Dragonball, it was something entirely different. She clicked the top to see activate the GPS coordinator. What she saw from the screen shocked her. The object that was being detected was coming from space and headed towards Earth.

She raced to the enormous centre console where her father's super computer was situated. She switched it on and activated the most powerful Capsule Corp. satellite in existence to track the object. She was able to get a partial visual as the object raced past and entered Earth's atmosphere.

She plotted its coordinates and raced out of the laboratory and into a waiting super hover car. She blasted off… on another adventure…

She came in sight of the sphere just as it struck the ground. It created a five mile wide crater in the dessert floor. The pod had not disintegrated on entry meaning that it was definitely a spacecraft and Bulma felt a thrill of excitement. Landing the craft she got out and walked to the edge of the crater. She saw the white sphere in the centre, still smoking, and throwing caution to the wind she clambered down into the crater.

As she got closer she heard the hiss of depressurizing air and she saw a hatch open. She still kept going though, intent on seeing who or what was in the pod.

What stopped her in her tracks was the bloody gloved hand that reached out of the pod and onto the side. She saw it grip the outer edges and she heard a grunt.

Midnight black hair, in the shape of a flame was what she saw coming out of the pod, a pronounced widow's peak and finally a face. From the angle she was looking at she could see that he was handsome. If not for the blood oozing out of a cut above his left eye.

He wore a blue body suit, with some sort of armour over the top half. It was torn and shredded in some places and from what Bulma could see the man had been in an intense battle.

He looked up at her as if he could sense. Onyx eyes locked with deep cerulean blue.

She them focus for a split second and then they rolled into the back of his head. She jumped towards him and caught him before he hit the ground. He was heavier than she had thought, but she managed.

She turned him around and went down with him to the ground. He seemed to come to himself for a second and she heard him whisper a word

"Vegeta" and then he passed out.

She checked his vitals to ensure that he was not dead and she felt a weak but steady pulse. She removed a capsule from her jacket and activated it.

A bang and a puff of smoke later, a fully functional CC floating stretcher appeared. She struggled to get him onto it but once that was done it became plain sailing… towards Capsule Corp.

_I think that's his name… Vegeta._ She rolled the word in her mind liking the sound of it. As she looked at him while she drove the thought became more true…

_Vegeta…_she smiled, focused and blasted off towards Capsule Corp.

5 Years Later

**En Route to Kame Island**

A gold cloud raced across the ocean, carrying two occupants on it. It was an ancient creature known as the Flying Nimbus to the world but those who rode it called it by its true name.

Kinto.

Only the pure hearted could ride it and on planet Earth there were none more pure hearted than the Son's. The Father, the mother and the beloved child who did not call it servant…but friend.

At the moment the creature was transporting the Son Goku, Chichi and Gohan towards Kame Island, where they would attend a reunion with all of their friends. They were currently over the South Eastern Ocean and soon they were in sight of the fabled home of the Kame-Sen'nin…Master Roshi.

Goku was seated at the back of the cloud with Chichi in front of him and Gohan in front of her. Goku could see his son's tail swishing back and forth, while his was firmly wrapped around his waist.

He was going to see his friends and introduce them to his and ChiChi's son. He was excited about seeing them after so long and he knew that they would all have a lot to say.

As the cloud slowed down Goku spoke to his son.

"See it Gohan, that's Master Muten Roshi's house" he said while unwrapping his arm from around Chichi and pointing to the house that was in view.

The cloud stopped and the Son family disembarked.

"Here we are!" he said to his family in an enthusiastic voice that carried into the house.

They heard movement coming from inside the house.

Krillin and Master Roshi came rushing out.

"Son!" Master Roshi exclaimed

"Goku!" Krillin finished.

"Master Roshi, Krillin it's great to see you!" he greeted.

"Hello everyone," Chichi greeted them in a soft voice. She had been carrying Gohan since they landed but now she slowly began to put him down in front of her.

"Whose kid is that?" Krillin asked

"Yeah Goku are you babysitting?" Master Roshi inquired.

"This is our son, Gohan" Goku filled them in.

"WHAT!!!" they both exclaimed, "You have a kid!"

"Everybody's having kids except me" Krillin grumbled under his breath

Goku nodded and smiled. It was then that he heard the door of Master Roshi's house open and then he saw a man wearing a blur bodysuit, with white boots and gloves. He had flame like black hair that was wild like his and he had a pronounced widow's peak.

Goku could sense that he was a very strong warrior perhaps even stronger than him but the way he walked did not set off any alarm bells in him.

The man was soon followed by a woman with blue hair, wearing a white lab coat and Goku immediately recognized her as his best friend Bulma, what shocked him though was the small child Bulma had in her arms.

It was a girl and from what Goku could see she looked exactly like Bulma.

"Hey Bulma!" Chichi said to her.

"Hi Chichi" she greeted. "Hey Goku long time no see" she said to her best friend but it was obvious that he was not concentrating on her.

Goku was staring at the stranger. There was something about him that Goku could not quite place but he knew it was important.

He gave the man another once over but this time he froze in shock.

Wrapped around the man's waist was a furry brown tail.

_Just like mine and Gohan's_ he thought to himself

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"Goku" Bulma said to her friend snapping him out of his thoughts. "This is my husband…Vegeta" she waited for it to sink. "Vegeta, this is Son Goku"

Bulma watched the two of the most important people in her life size each other up. There seemed to be an unspoken communication going on between the two. She looked at Chichi for support seeing as her husband was also involved in the staring contest and it was then that she saw the child at Chichi's feet. She moved off the porch and towards her friend. Her child's tail twitched slightly and Bulma the child down.

"This is my son, Gohan" Chichi said to her

"This is my daughter, Bra" Bulma introduced her.

The two children sized each other up and slowly they approached each other. It was very cute. Both of them with their tails raised and swishing, and shyly approaching each other.

Until they both came close to each other. They regarded each other for a while and then Gohan's tail inched around him and Bra's did the same. The two tails began to intertwine and when they were finished the two held hands.

"My name's Gohan, I'm four and a half" Gohan said to her.

"My name's Bra, I'm four" she said with a smile

Both children smiled at each other…

"Kawaii" Bulma and Chichi said in unison.

An intense and evil power pressed down upon all those on the small island. Goku saw Vegeta unfold his arms and quickly move to Bulma and Bra. He instinctually moved Chichi and Gohan behind him. He had seen the tail on Vegeta and he had wanted to ask so many questions but he felt that he would not get any answers.

Right now though there were more important matters to attend to.

"Such an intense, evil power" Master Roshi said, confirming what they were all feeling.

"It's here Krillin!" shouted and they all looked to where he was pointing.

In the sky a purple skinned being wearing a black bodysuit, black armour with gold trim, floated with arms crossed. He had a device on the left side of his, it covered his ear like a large headphone and it extended to cover his eye with a scope like screen.

The monstrous power coming from him sent chills down Goku's spine.

He quickly shot down and landed on the edge of the island.

"Greetings Prince Vegeta" the alien being said to Vegeta. "I have come for you."

Goku looked towards Vegeta searching for a reaction from the warrior, but he was disappointed to find that his face remained impassive. "It has taken some time but we managed to trace you back to this backwater planet. Nappa suffered long and hard and even then he did not break. The Saiyan dog was too stupid to know that we would find you in the end."

The word 'Saiyan' sparked an unknown feeling deep inside Goku and looking back he felt that the same had happened to Gohan and Bra.

"Cui" Vegeta growled. "You will pay for what you've done."

"I have come to you back, since we are short of Saiyan dogs and I see that there are more than I had accounted for. A veritable kennel" he insulted.

Goku knew that the being was talking about Vegeta, Gohan, Bra and himself.

"Vegeta" he called "What's a Saiyan?" Goku asked what he felt was the most important question in his life.

Vegeta turned to him and their eyes locked. Goku noticed the similarities in himself and Vegeta. They both have thick black hair, dark onyx eyes, incredible power and the most important one was their tails.

"I am glad you asked, Kakarot. Saiyans are a proud warrior race of great power, and you and I are part of that race-"

He was going to say more but Cui interrupted him.

"Tell it right Vegeta. Saiyans were a warrior race. Past tense. You two are the last of the filthy monkeys."

"Monkeys?" Goku said quizzically.

"No, not monkey's. Oozaru's. The powerful transformation we are able to achieve through our tails. When the light of a full moon shines a Saiyan with a tail can achieve the powerful Oozaru transformation. He becomes a Giant Ape like creature that we call the Oozaru." Vegeta said in answer to Goku.

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"Enough chitter, chatter. Both of you are coming with me." Cui commanded. "If you don't I can't guarantee the safety of your kids" he threatened.

His scouter suddenly beeped as it read the increasing power levels of the two in front of him. He moved faster than they could anticipate, and when he slowed down he had two brats in his hands.

"Don't try anything funny. I was told to bring back a Saiyan they didn't specify which one." He mocked. "Both of you come quietly and the children won't be hurt."

He was ready for retaliation as he saw the other Saiyan, Kakarot dash towards him. Cui did not even have to put the brats down. He simply kicked out and nailed the Saiyan in the stomach. He fell down clutching it in great pain and it brought a smile to Cui's face.

Vegeta had not blindly charged obviously noting the great difference in their power.

Cui raised his power level and floated into the sky. "Come with me quietly and I will spare these brats" he told them and then he blasted off.

­

The two women had not stopped crying ever since their children were taken. Goku had since recovered from the blow and they were now formulating a plan to retrieve their children.

Vegeta was definitely stronger than Goku but his brief history with Cui told him that the warrior was also extremely strong.

"So it's settled, we attack together and take him down." Goku said to him.

At this point Vegeta knew that they had few options and this seemed the best one. The only problem was that next to Kakarot there was no one with enough power to help them in the battle.

"I hope I make it out alive" the short bald one said.

"Your presence won't be necessary" a deep voice said. They all turned to see a green skinned warrior descending from the sky. He was dressed in a purple Gi and he had a blue swath around his waist. He also had long pointy ears, two green antennae, very sharp teeth and his green skin was broken in some places by pink muscles.

"Piccolo" Kakarot shouted.

"Goku" the new arrival growled. It was clear to Vegeta that there was some animosity between the two and it was then that he remembered what Bulma had told him about the greatest battle in the history of the Earth. The 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, where Kakarot faced off against a green skinned demon named Ma Jr with his true name being Piccolo. Vegeta recognized him as a Namek and he placed the information away for later use. For now they had to concentrate on defeating Cui.

"That being is extremely powerful Goku, you won't be able to defeat him" The Namek said and even as he spoke he took notice of Vegeta.

Vegeta did not miss the analytical with which the Namek studied him. He saw the Namek's eyes travel from his face to his waist, noting the similarities between himself and Kakarot.

Kakarot must have noted Piccolo's interest because he said "Piccolo, this is Vegeta, Bulma's husband. That warrior took both our children and we have to get them back".

They did not say anything to each other preferring to see each others actions on a field of battle.

Vegeta reached into his suit and took out a capsule. He depressed the button on top and in his hand a scouter appeared. He placed it on the left side of his face over his ear and eye and clicked the button. Immediately numbers sprang up and it was only a matter of seconds before he picked up the powers on Earth.

Kakarot was reading at just below 6000 and the Namekian was at 5000.

"You two are too weak to help in this battle. That warrior has a power level of at least 18000." He informed them.

"Piccolo growled and Kakarot seemed puzzled for a second.

"Does that thing read Ki?" he asked.

_Ki?_ Vegeta pondered and after a while he spoke "If you mean a fighter's energy, then the answer is yes."

"How accurate is it?" Piccolo asked.

"Very accurate" he informed him

"I saw that the warrior was wearing a similar device, but I don't think he got a good reading. He said my power level was at 2000. At the time I was suppressing it, so I don't think it's as accurate as you believe." He said in a derisive tone.

"Oh yeah. Even now, I'm suppressing my Ki so, it might not be reading my entire power" Goku added.

_Suppressing__ their power… what other tricks do these earthlings have…?_

"Enough. We \will have to fight either way and from what I can tell you two are the most powerful fighters on this planet. Let's go" Vegeta began to levitate but before he was too far up he sent a psychic thought to Bulma.

_Don't worry__ I'll get her back_ The Saiyan Prince directed his scouter to find a large power level and sure enough it found Cui. A blue aura surrounded him and in a burst of power and speed he was gone.

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Goku saw Vegeta blast off and he saw Piccolo following him. He ran to Chichi's side and enveloped her in a hug.

"I'm going to save Gohan. I love you Chichi" he said to her.

Her sobbing still for a moment in her husband's arms and Goku felt hope kindling in her aura.

He released and ran in the direction of the others and just when he was about to enter the water he raised his Ki and a brilliant white aura surrounded him and he blasted off into the sky blowing sand and sea water away.

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He was very scared. Everything had been fun and exciting until the purple man came. His daddy had told him stories about all of his friends and the adventures they had been on and he had wanted to meet them all. He had been even more excited when he had seen the little girl with a tail, just like his and daddies. She had told him her name was Bra and she had smiled. He liked her smile it was funny.

The man had taken them away and he had put them in a small room. He did not really know what it was but it was tiny and it smelled.

Bra was quietly sleeping next to him and he did not want to wake her up. He was trying to be brave but it was so scary.

He heard people shouting outside of the room and that was when he realized that it was not a room. He saw a small round glass window above and being careful not disturb Bra he stood up on his tiptoes to see through. He saw what looked liked a wall but then looking at it more carefully he saw that it was not a wall it was actually the ground. He was in a crater.

"Let my son go" he heard a voice shout.

The fear that had been building inside of him began to subside.

_Daddies here, he'll take care of everything…_ he thought to himself.

"G…Go...Gohan-chan" a small voice said and Gohan turned to see the source. It was Bra and she was awake. _Only kassan calls me chan_. The thought was fleeting but it nonetheless caused Gohan to see Bra differently.

She was no longer a stranger but a precious person he wanted to protect. He couldn't describe but he knew that it was different to what he felt for his kassan and otousan.

"Don't worry Bra-chan, my daddy is here. He'll save us."

His words were innocent enough and he was surprised when Bra's nervousness disappeared.

"My dad is going to save us. He's a Prince" she stated matter-of-factly.

At this point Gohan became confused because he vaguely remembered his mom calling his dad her 'prince charming' and his Grandfather called his dad the Prince Consort. He himself was called a Prince but only when he visited his Grandfather in the big house…

Not knowing what to say he gave her a bright smile

She looked at him funny and Gohan could see that she was struggling to stay angry but eventually she relaxed and smiled.

Their fear for the moment was forgotten but

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The wave of dark Ki caused their fear to return…

End of chapter one.


	2. Chapter 2: Hidden Power

DRAGONBALL Z

DESTINY/FATE VARIANCE

CHAPTER 2

HIDDEN POWERS

The fight had gone from bad to worse for the warriors. Numerous cuts and bruises marred their faces and bodies. Although they were wounded their enemy had not gone without his own injuries and that was thanks in large part to the tall green alien who had arrived to face this incredible threat.

With Piccolo's arrival the tide in the battle had marginally turned and they were all able to get a slight upper hand on the alien Cui.

Piccolo's physiology allowed for different strategies to be used against the alien and they had landed some good blows, but it wasn't enough.

The alien was just too powerful…

Goku looked at the warriors who fought at his side, his once enemy Piccolo, and the strange Vegeta, who shared too many similarities with him to be coincidence and Goku now knew why. They were from the same race, a race called Saiyan.

Vegeta was definitely stronger than him but compared to Cui he did not hold a candle and Goku had noticed that without the strange device on his ear, Vegeta had trouble tracking Cui. The device was similar to Cui's and that meant that they were connected somehow.

Vegeta's one had been destroyed in the battle and he now relied on his eyes to track Cui's super fast movements.

The brief reprieve became over when Goku felt Cui's Ki spike. He barely had enough time to dodge the powerful punch let alone defend against the knee that came up to greet his face. The powerful hit sent him flying upwards and away from the main battle zone.

Goku landed face first into the ground a few meters away from the fighter. He looked up to see Piccolo swatted away like a fly and he saw as Vegeta engaged Cui.

The fight was fast and furious but Goku could clearly see how much Vegeta was outclassed.

A Ki powered fist moved past Vegeta' guard and into his gut knocking the air out of him and causing him to instinctively contract around his stomach. An elbow was brought down on his back sending him into the ground and creating an indentation in it.

Goku heard him scream and he knew he had to help him, but his body was too thrashed to move at the moment.

Cui then brought his foot down on Vegeta and his face went up from the ground in another scream.

Before things could get any worse something incredible happened. From the crater where the space pod was there came a blossoming of incredible Ki. Goku looked to it and saw a tiny figure burst from the pod. It was the small blue eyed, blue haired daughter of Vegeta and Bulma, Bra.

Her power great concentrated around her and she shot forward with incredible speed towards Cui. In that brief moment her power flared greater than what they had combined. She hit him dead centre on his chest knocking the air from him and causing him to stagger back in pain. The child then landed on the ground next to her father, looking up at Cui with the fierce determination of one protecting all that they held dear.

_Innocence lost_…

"Why you little brat your going to pay for that" Cui snarled he then began to advance on Bra.

His intent was so focused on his prey that he did not see Piccolo and thus the green skinned warrior landed a vicious flying kick to Cui's face which sent him flying to Goku's direction.

"Now Goku!" Piccolo screamed

Goku gathered his energy shot up from the ground just as Cui was in range and delivered a devastating uppercut that sent him flying.

"Ka-me-ha-me-haaaaaaa!" Goku sent his energy attack to the warrior in the sky.

"Special Beam Cannon!" Piccolo's attack also went to the same place.

"Gallick Gun!" Vegeta screamed as well adding his power to the attack.

The explosion was enormous and the weary warriors all waited for the smoke to clear.

Cui was in the air body curled inwards to protect himself and smoke slowly lifted off his body.

"A valiant effort but now you die!" He raised his hand and gathered an enormous amount of energy and he then released four energy balls that homed in on their targets with deadly accuracy.

Goku heard Bra scream and the sound broke his heart.

_So young…_

Goku could only weakly raise his hands to defend himself from the attack that was going to end his life. When it hit, he screamed and closed his eyes.

Suddenly he felt weightless, as if he was floating on air. He opened his eyes and all around him he saw white.

_Is this Heaven_ he thought. _It's so warm and gentle…_

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He had thought they were finished. After toying with them and almost getting killed by a little girl Cui had had enough. His Star Gazer attack would finish them all and then he would take the brat in the pod.

He was tired of this place…

He did not even wait for his attack to finish, he simply turned his back and flew to the crater. Only to stop in shock.

A column of white light had shot forth from the crater and into the sky and slowly it was beginning to expand outwards. The slowly expansion suddenly changed to an instant one and Cui was blown away into a nearby mountain.

He slowly dragged himself out of it and saw that the pillar had changed into a dome. His scouter beeped as it registered five active power levels within that dome.

_Shit_

He burst out of the mountain, igniting his aura around him and raising his power to break through the barrier.

He flared his aura higher as he approached but when it came into contact with the dome it dissipated. His flight was too fast and he had no way of stopping and even as he came into contact with that barrier he felt his body melt away.

_So pure… too pure for the likes of me… this is the end then_._ There is nothing to fear, I see that now. This release I feared all of my life, I now welcome it._

_Thank you…_

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It was not everyday that one fought against an enemy more powerful and more radical than what he could comprehend. For Piccolo it was a sobering experience. The warrior who he found with Goku was also more powerful than he could comprehend but against the purple skinned alien they had been as nothing.

Smart moves, clever thinking, teamwork and a little bit of luck only got you so far in a battle like this and when that warrior had sent those energy balls Piccolo had known that it was the end.

It was not everyday that one witnessed a miracle that one could not comprehend but today was such a day.

The energy that had flared from the little boy had been miraculous in its power to heal and to attack.

Piccolo stood with the others as they witnessed the small boy floating in the sky projecting that dome of Ki and something else… They had clearly seen the alien land in the mountain and they had felt his incredible power as he tried to bring it upon them only to be stopped… and to be destroyed.

What shocked Piccolo was not the alien's death but the smile that had come upon his face in his last moments.

Slowly the dome began to constrict until it surrounded the boy. It flared so brightly around him and Piccolo had to avert his eyes from it and then it was gone as suddenly as it had appeared.

Son Goku looked up with an awed expression on his face. Piccolo then saw the boy's shoulder's slump in the air and then he began to fall. Son Goku moved incredibly fast and caught the boy in the air and slowly he descended to the ground.

The other warrior Vegeta was also holding his child who had fallen unconscious.

Piccolo again marvelled at the healing power of that boy's energy. Their cuts and wounds had disappeared and Piccolo felt stronger and healthier than when the battle started. He also felt the increased energy from Goku and Vegeta. It seemed that along with their recovery, their powers had grown too.

_Miracles…huh…_

'_Indeed Piccolo and you would do well to heed it, for I feel that in this boy lies the future of the world'_

Piccolo went completely still as his other spoke to him across their mental link

'_Get out of my head old man'…_

He approached Son Goku and he finally got a good look at the boy in his arms. He was small with pale skin, black hair and a furry brown tail. He was asleep and Piccolo found it hard to imagine that this child had just now saved the world.

Piccolo soon felt a familiar yet detested aura and he turned around to see his Other, Kami the God of the Earth.

"Greetings, saviours and defenders of the Earth." He said,

Piccolo snorted

"More like one saviour" he said.

Kami continued ignoring him

"I have watched your battle and though you all fought bravely the enemy was too strong. If not for the boy cradled in his fathers arms, then the world and all we know would be lost." He paused and he looked up. They all followed his line of sight and a capsule ship became visible.

The craft landed smoothly on the ground and when the hatch opened, two women came bursting out. They ran to the two Saiyan warriors. Piccolo knew that that was what they were. Saiyans…

"Goku, Gohan!" the black haired woman shouted in relief

"Vegeta, Bra!" the other one said and they all closed with their families.

The old turtle hermit and his bald student also came out of the ship.

After a few minutes of tearful hugs and kisses Kami cleared his throat.

They all turned to him and realizing who he was they gave him the reverence and respect due to him

_Pathetic…_

"I am glad that you can all be together at this moment for the future will be hard and dangerous. All of you here were witness to the enemy's power and were it not for these children then all would be lost. Alas we cannot so cruelly thrust them into the forefront of battle, as young and as innocent as they are but they will be needed."

He turned to face Goku and Vegeta.

"For what Kami, the battle is over, we won" Goku said.

"This was only the beginning Goku."

The others were all shocked and Piccolo also realized that he too was feeling some shock.

"Others are coming. Others that are far more powerful than the warrior you faced today. You know them well do you not Vegeta?"

"You can't mean Zarbon and Dodoria!" he said with some shock.

"Yes those two are coming to this place. Already I can feel the stirrings of their powers, light years away, strumming the strings of fate encircling our world."

"Get to the point old man, you're wasting time."

"Goku and Vegeta you each must get stronger to meet this coming threat and so must your children."

"How long till they get here?" Vegeta queried in a steady voice.

"One year."

"How can we get that strong in one year?" Goku asked

"With a little help from above. Goku you have been granted leave to enter into OtherWorld, to then journey across the legendary Snake Way and at its end to find King Kai and receive his training. Having observed you for the past few years Vegeta I know that you will want to train alone. I have seen the perfect location for your training and I will provide you with the directions."

"What about our kids?" Bulma asked.

"I request that they be given into our care, to be trained in the use of their powers."

"Our?" Chichi said.

"Yes mine and… Piccolo's. Bra shall come with me and Gohan shall go with Piccolo."

---------------------------------------------------

Sometime later

Piccolo had flown to a small island carrying the little boy who was still asleep. Upon landing he had promptly thrown him into a puddle to wake him up. It had worked but now there was a new problem. The boy wouldn't stop crying for his mommy and daddy.

Piccolo had had enough.

"Listen hear brat. Your mommy and daddy aren't around, it's only you and me."

"But, but, but"

"Quiet, I'm talking now. You are here to train. In a year two powerful enemies are coming to destroy the planet and you could be its only hope."

"Me? But how?" the boy queried.

"You have a deep power that is hidden within and I mean to bring it out."

"Power? But I don't have any power"

_Kid doesn't even remember that he saved the world, well let me remind_

Piccolo grabbed him by the collar and threw him at full strength towards a nearby mountain.

The boy screamed initially but soon he fell quite and his power surfaced.

A blue aura appeared around him and he sent a powerful energy wave towards the mountain incinerating it in an instant and carving a path that carried on for miles. There was also a backlash of power and it was all Piccolo could do to keep from being blown away.

_Unbelievable._

Piccolo approached the boy and found him seated facing away from the devastation.

"Hey wasn't I standing just now… I wonder what happened?"

_This is going to be a long year_ Piccolo thought to himself.

---------------------------------------------------

High up on Kami's Lookout, small girl stood on the edge facing down. Although she could not see as he did Kami knew that she was facing in the direction of Gohan and Piccolo.

"Are you ready Bra?" He asked.

She turned to him and nodded.

"Then come with me" Kami turned and walked towards the main building of the Lookout.

-------------------------------------------------

'_Good luck Gohan-Kun…'_

'_Good luck Bra-Chan'_

End of Chapter two


	3. Chapter 3: Training

**DRAGONBALL Z**

**DESTINY\FATE VARIANCE**

**CHAPTER THREE**

**TRAINING**

Night came quickly to the wild lands that Piccolo had taken the boy too. He was still too weak to protect himself from the predators that roamed the area and so Piccolo had taken him by the scruff of his neck and flew up a steep butte. He deposited the child on the top knowing that he would be safe up here.

"I'll stay up here for tonight" he said to himself and he took up the lotus position and slowly he began to meditate. He was beginning to enter a deep state of meditation when he heard a voice.

"I'm hungry" came the complaint from below.

Piccolo growled to himself but he knew that that would not help. The child needed sustenance and if was anything like his father then he needed a lot.

Piccolo then went about gathering fruits from around the area faster than many could see.

After collecting a decent amount he secretly deposited behind the boy. The boy turned around and his eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"Where did this come from?" he asked. He then began to look around but soon he slowly took a big apple into his hand and sniffed it. Something must have told the boy that the food was alright because he took a big bite and from there he began to eat quickly.

Soon enough the food was finished and he stood up.

"Hey it's really bright outside. I wonder why?" The boy then seemed to notice his shadow. "Wow, my shadow is so long"

The boy then looked up and something incredible happened. Piccolo saw the boy's eyes focus on the moon and with his superior vision he was able to see the boys Onyx eyes transform into red orbs.

The boy's power then spiked incredibly and his clothes ripped off as he slowly began to increase in size. Piccolo heard wild grunts and snarls coming from the boy who was transforming before his very eyes. Fur began to cover his now giant body and his face had an elongated snout with sharp teeth and wide nostrils. His most disturbing feature was his blood red eyes.

Piccolo could not help the shiver of fear that came over him when he stared into those eyes.

The Beast let loose a roar of uncontrolled rage and the butte beneath it, crumbled like sand beneath its massive weight. The Earth shook when the creature landed.

_How do I stop such a thing_ Piccolo fervently thought. Deciding on action rather than inaction Piccolo charged. He thought that he might have the element of surprise but that was not the case.

The monster turned to look directly at Piccolo but undeterred he charged only to have to dodge for dear life as a crimson energy beam shot at him. It had come straight from the beast's mouth and if not for his quick reflexes then Piccolo knew he'd be dead.

For all its giant size and mindless fury the monster moved with an amazing speed and so Piccolo found himself hurtling to the ground after receiving a giant fist to the body.

He landed in a Piccolo sized impression, or he made the impression. At the moment he wasn't sure, since the world was spinning so fast.

The ground shook suddenly and out of pure instinct Piccolo leapt to the side and it was just in time because the place he had been in was now occupied by a giant fist.

_I have to do something drastic if I am going to stop this kid._ He brought his middle and fore fingers to his forehead and he began to concentrate his Ki, into his most destructive attack. Not in terms of explosive power but in terms of effect.

"Special Beam Cannon…"

Before he fired, he looked up at the monster and saw it staring intently at the moon, and then somehow it seemed to surge with more energy and power.

_THE MOON!  
_

"FIRE!" Piccolo screamed and he then sent his attack to the moon. On contact it drilled into the lunar satellite and upon reaching its centre it exploded, breaking the moon apart.

The absence of the moon did the trick and Piccolo felt the monstrous power dwindle and then disappear. He wearily looked back and saw a small naked boy passed out on the floor.

"You really made me work for that one kid" he said out loud.

He then approached and calling upon his mystical powers he materialized a set of orange fighting clothes for the little boy.

"The clothes are like your fathers, but the symbol on the back says you're from my camp. Wear it well, because it means a lot more than you know."

He also materialized a sword so that the boy would have something with which he could marginally defend himself with.

Before he left Piccolo slowly walked to the boy and he did something he thought he would never do. He pricked his thumb with one of his own nails and he then turned the boy onto his back and opened his mouth and let one drop of his purple blood fall in.

"Don't ever say old Piccolo never did something for you"

Piccolo then gathered his energy and took off.

'_I have to train, I have to get stronger. This child almost killed me… I can only imagine what Goku or Vegeta could do in that form… I will definitely become stronger… I have too…_

-----------------------------------

On the winding path of Snake Way a living warrior paused and looked back sensing the stirring of a distant power.

_Gohan…_

He faced forward once again and set off at an even faster speed.

------------------------------------ 

In the deepest reaches of North Galaxy a lone warrior trained furiously against the planets increased gravity. Of all of those who had participated in the battle on Earth, he alone understood the threat that was coming. He had spent most of his life under Frieza's heel and those two who were closest to Frieza had all of his evil and cruelty.

It had been difficult to leave his wife and child but as all of Royal blood knew hard decisions needed to be made without any regrets.

Hard decisions had led to his rebellion against Frieza and the loss of Nappa and Raditz. The two warriors had sacrificed themselves when Zarbon and Dodoria proved too strong and it was all they could do to send him away from that slaughter.

He had vowed on his life that they would be avenged and to do that he would grow stronger. For his fallen comrades… and for his fallen people…

He also had another reason to grow stronger…

For his wife and his child.

Vegeta gathered energy into his hand and performed a secret technique. The artificial ball of energy that lit the sky of the planet he was on began to affect him.

Even as his bones surged in size and his rage and power increased he still kept depth of his thoughts.

_For Bulma and for Bra…_

--------------------------------------------------------

Three Months since the attack on Planet Earth

High on Earth Lookout's Kami, the God and Guardian of the Earth observed the young girl manipulating her Ki. She had come a long way in such a short time and it was evidence of her own inner strength and determination.

She was currently in the early stages of Bukujutsu and Kami had no doubt that soon she would be flying.

Bra had shown great talents in Ki manipulation fighting techniques and she seemed to absorb his Kami-Ken training very well.

"Tell me Mr Popo what do you think of my young apprentice?" he asked the ancient jinni.

"I believe she will be very powerful and she will be a great asset to in the battle to come. Her spirit is strong and her Saiyan heritage allows her to reach great heights of power." He answered.

Kami turned to look at Bra and saw her face scrunched up in concentration. Her Ki which had been flowing smoothly before was now erratic and fitful.

"Bra don't let your impatience get the better of you." Kami called out.

She seemed not to hear him and Kami saw the look on her face change from irritation to anger.

They were unprepared for what happened next. Bra let out a scream of frustration and raw energy and power burst from her in a raging torrent.

Kami shielded his eyes from the intense light and called upon his own power to keep himself rooted in place. The task of keeping himself in place was more difficult than he could imagine as the power from Bra rolled unchecked.

The power than began to die down and when Kami was able to look at Bra he saw her floating well above the ground. Her head was cocked to the side as if listening to something and her eyes were closed.

_Amazing _Kami thought.

Abruptly her eyes opened and at first she did not realize where she was until she looked down and saw herself floating above the ground.

Slowly but surely she descended to the ground. Upon reaching the ground she fell to her hands and knees breathing heavily.

"I knew I could do it… I'm a princess after all" she said and she quickly passed out.

Kami walked to the child and gingerly picked her up.

"I knew you could do it too Bra"

Kami took the child into the Lookout and placed her on her bed. He then pierced his forefinger with one of his nails and placed a drop on the child's forehead.

"For your protection, little one" he said…

-----------------------------------------------------------

Gohan raced through the forest with the large T-Rex hot on his trail. Although to some it might seem a life threatening situation but to him it was great fun. Having been out in this place for so long Gohan had been forced to adapt and it had come to him easier than he thought.

The first few days were tough and if it wasn't for Bra he did not know how he could have gotten through them.

Another thing that helped was the sword he had found beside him when he woke up after that bad dream where a monster destroyed the land.

The sword reminded him of the one his mother would use to practice with. He found that the memory of his mother's movements had not faded and pretty soon he was learning how to use the weapon based on those memories and his own thoughts.

Life out here was fun. There were great lakes from which to wash and fish, there were large forest to swing and play in, and there were all sorts of creatures to see.

Mr Piccolo had been gone a long time and Gohan had often wondered if he would be coming back soon, but he was not overly worried.

Mr Piccolo as tough as he seemed wasn't really that bad.

Currently Gohan was playing his most exciting game. He would bait the large T-Rex to see how long it could chase him before it tired out.

At moments he would slow down to make the monster think it had caught but then he would speed up again.

As they broke through the forest and into a field at the foot of mountain shelf Gohan thought he would try something.

He started to speed up and when he got closer to the mountain he gathered all of his energy and jumped.

He soared through the air higher than he thought possible and for a second he became scared until he felt himself falling back down.

He smoothly landed on the mountain and he turned around to look at the ground below. He was actually a lot higher than what he at first thought. He realized the great height he was at due to the small speck that was the T-Rex. He usually could see very well and for him to not see the creature meant that he was pretty high.

"How am I going to get dow…" Gohan did not finish his sentence because he felt a cry of anguish come from his friend.

_Bra._

Gohan closed his eyes and concentrated until his mind was transported to the other place. He found here there struggling very hard against something, her face screwed up in deep, frustrated concentration.

"Bra-chan, are you alright?" he asked. She seemed not to hear him and Gohan approached her.

When he put his hand on her shoulder an intense energy passed between them and Gohan saw Bra relax.

He was happy that she was relaxing but his happiness was short lived because when Bra opened her eyes her energy blazed forth knocking him away from their place.

Gohan opened his eyes and he was very disoriented and suddenly where the mountain had been solid beneath his feet, there was air and Gohan felt himself plummeting.

'_Gohan-kun!' _a voice screamed in his mind. '_Use your energy'_

"But how?" he questioned out loud.

'_Gohan-Kun!' _the voice screamed '_jump!'_

The voice was so scared and distressed and Gohan knew that she was worried about him.

He closed his eyes and in the same way that he had used his energy to jump so high he put it under him and pushed up.

He suddenly felt that he was not falling anymore and slowly and carefully he opened his eyes to himself a few meters above the ground, floating.

"Wow cool" he said and with that loss of concentration Gohan fell but he extended his hands and when he hit the ground he sprang off to land on his feet and then he fell on his back and passed out.

-------------------------------------------------

Piccolo had just arrived, and he had seen the boy's tremendous jump and his equally tremendous fall. He would have caught the boy at the last instant but that had proved unnecessary because it seemed the boy had just learned to fly.

"You've come a long way in such a short time. You are truly are your father's son and now the real training will begin. I think at the end of this we will both be very powerful…"

Piccolo could not stop the feral smile that came to his lips…

Three Months Later…

They had trained hard today and made excellent progress. Gohan had created his own signature move and Piccolo could not have been prouder.

The boy was currently asleep and Piccolo had created a fire to keep them warm. He had grown in power and so had the kid. There were things that Piccolo taught him like fighting, Ki manipulation and techniques but it was not a one sided exchange. The boy also taught Piccolo things he had never before understood like, friendship, laughter, and fun.

In this boy Piccolo could see his own Legacy…

It was there under the stars that Piccolo finally understood and accepted his new destiny. To watch over this child.

"Don't worry kid" he said as he reached forth and brushed away the hair from his face. "I won't let anything happen to you, I…pr…promise"

End of Chapter Three


	4. Chapter 4: Arrival

DRAGONBALL Z

DESTINY\FATE VARIANCE

CHAPTER FOUR

ARRIVAL

"Initiating sleep mode termination sequence in 5...4…3…2…1" The metallic voice of the onboard computer said.

"Resuscitation will begin in 3…2…1…Wake up Lord Zarbon"

Zarbon elite bodyguard of the all powerful Frieza opened his eyes.

The space trip had been long and it was even made longer due to Dodoria's need to destroy. He had made them stop and destroy a planet light years away and that had cost them time. Zarbon judged it to be 1 standard week.

They had come to this backwater planet to find Vegeta and return to Frieza so that he could feel the consequences of defying the Lord of the Universe.

The Monkey Prince's attempted coup against Frieza was laughable considering how much Frieza outclassed Vegeta in power. It would have ended with the destruction of the last Saiyan's but Nappa and Raditz had helped Vegeta escape.

Such sacrifice while noble was also suitably pathetic. There was nowhere in the Universe that anyone could hide from Frieza.

His reach was long… too long even for Zarbon's tastes.

He understood now that he was going to complete the extinction of the Saiyan race, much in the same way that his race had been made extinct by Frieza. It was with only passing regret that he thought about his destroyed people.

It was a whole new Universe. There existed no boundaries for Frieza and those who opposed him, died.

"Hey Zarbon…are we there yet?" Dodoria called thorough the communication device.

His partner as powerful as he was was still quite thick and dealing with him caused even the most patient people to lose it.

"Of course where there Dodoria, otherwise we wouldn't have woken up!" He snapped.

"No need for you to get so upset. It was just a question."

"It was s stupid question Dodoria. How many times, have we travelled in one of these inter stellar space pods. The suspended hibernation is due to the fact that there is no food or nutrients in these things. Hibernation is only exited in times of danger or when the destination is reached." He tried to explain

"Can you repeat that I wasn't listening?" Dodoria said.

"Just forget it and prepare yourself for the landing." Zarbon shut of the communication device and focused on the task ahead.

It was only a matter of minutes until Vegeta was in his hands and when they left he also decided to make this planet space dust. If only for offering shelter to the filthy monkey.

Zarbon smiled and on his deviously handsome face, it seemed a smile of pure evil.

--------------------------

Kami had sensed the two pods when they entered the Milky Way Galaxy. The powers contained therein while dormant were immense.

He remembered informing the Defenders of the Earth of the impending arrival and most had gone off to rest up for the battle to come. He had watched them one all making peace with their friends and loved ones.

Bra had gone home to her mother, Krillin had gone to visit some of the monks at his old monastery, Yamcha had gone to visit his friends in the Desert, Tien had gone to see Lunch and Chaotzu was with his wife.

They had all trained very hard and he was glad to have been there to help them. Through the months they had prepared for the coming attack he had made peace with himself and his other. He could sense the storm coming and he could also sense that events would overwhelm him and his other.

He had observed Piccolo training the boy and he had seen the subtle change in his other. Gohan had helped Piccolo escape from the shadow of his origins and for that Kami would be eternally grateful. There would be hope for Piccolo's soul and in all that was to come Kami would take comfort in that.

----------------------------------

They had all fought well and Piccolo felt pride in the way they had all fought to defend the Earth. They had lost Yamcha, Tien and Chaotzu against the powerful Dodoria and it was only Gohan, Bra, Krillin and himself who still stood.

Dodoria had paid for some of his arrogance. He was bleeding from a cut above his left eye courtesy of a Destructo Disc from Krillin. His left arm was held awkwardly beside him and that was because of the powerful combination from Gohan and Bra.

They had closed with the warrior and using their size to their advantage delivered a combined blow that actually broke the pink warriors arm. They had paid for that with a devastating retaliation from him but Krillin and Piccolo had easily stepped in to get them out of danger.

Given a chance Piccolo felt that they could defeat the pink warrior but the other one was the most dangerous. He had not entered the battle, he had only observed it.

This unnerved Piccolo greatly… because it meant that he was even more powerful than the pink warrior.

Zarbon he had said when he introduced himself more than an hour prior. It seemed like a life time away.

The spilling of his comrade's lives stung him greatly and that was increased further by his inability to avenge them.

Though just small children Gohan and Bra had fought well, Piccolo had noted that there were moments when they had been very scared and he was once again reminded of the loss of their innocence…

"You brats are going to pay for that!" Dodoria screamed and he then charged them.

Krillin acted first and went to deliver a powerful kick but Dodoria saw him coming and twisted his enormous bulk to the side and Krillin went by. Just when he was in range Dodoria delivered a powerful kick that sent him flying into the mountain side.

_He's serious._

Piccolo was about to jump in the way when Gohan surged in power and delivered a powerful uppercut to the oncoming Dodoria and Bra finished with an even more powerful kick that sent him flying into ground to carve a deep wound in the earth.

"Enough games!" he shouted as he got up. Dodoria grabbed his injured arm and twisted it into place. His hand glowed with energy and he passed it into his broken arm.

Piccolo was shocked, he had forcefully healed himself with Ki. For whatever he is about to do, he is going to need two hands.

The shock and horror that passed through was indescribable.

He felt the intense gathering of enormous energy and he then reacted out of instinct and love.

The blast when it came was devastating and Piccolo without a second thought put himself in front of it.

_This is too much… I won't be able to save Gohan… I am so_

Suddenly a presence was beside him, giving him strength to resist the blast.

'_This is it then…'_ He said to his other.

'_Yes this it…'_ Kami replied.

'_We are dying…'_

'_To save these children'_

'_Because they are worth saving'_

'_More than you know.'_

'_Then I have no regrets'_

"_I have none either…good…'_

'_bye'_

--------------------------------------------

Gohan opened his eyes. He and Bra had clung together in the face of the powerful attack… that never came.

Gohan looked to Bra and then he looked forward.

Piccolo and Kami had stood in front of the blast, protecting them…

Slowly both fell as mirror images of each other.

Bra gasped in shock and Gohan looked at her and saw that she had also opened her eyes to witness… to witness….

Both of them got up and stumbled in a daze towards their respective mentors.

"Pi…Piccolo." he said in a disbelieving voice. "Why'd you have to go and do that? Now your hurt." He said.

"I am phasing into another dimension… wish me back ok. It's up to you."

"But Piccolo you can't leave us now, we need your help… an…and I don't know how to wish you back." Gohan was kneeling beside the warrior.

"Kami-Sama" Bra said fearfully.

"Little one, mine and Piccolo's power is fading and we will soon phase into another dimension. While our Dragonball's may be gone, there still exist others on our home planet Namek. Use them to bring us back…"

"Kami… oh Kami, please don't go" Bra pleaded.

"Gohan, you're the only real friend that I've ever had…I want to thank you. I remember the first day that I brought you here. You've changed so much since then. The harder things got the more determined you became. I'm proud of you… hey sorry I was so rough on you, I knew you could take it."

"Piccolo…"

"Get em, Gohan." The warrior said and then he disappeared

"PICCOLOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He screamed in anguish.

------------------------------------------

"Goodbye Bra… remember…"

"KAMI-SAMAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…" Bra also screamed mirroring Gohan's anguish...

---------------------------------------------

It was a sound that Krillen wished he would never hear again. It broke his heart and he would never forget it for the rest of his days.

---------------------------------------

"The loss of innocence" Zarbon mumbled to himself. His scouter suddenly went crazy and it pinpointed to incredible powers.

The children's screams of pain were transformed into screams of rage.

Two readings

_15000_

_12500_

Truly amazing…

"DODORIA! Watch out!" He shouted a warning.

The boy crossed his arms over his head and charged a powerful Ki attack.

The girl was surrounded by a powerful aura of Ki and she also charged an attack that Zarbon recognized.

"MASENKO-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"GALLICK GUN FIREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The two beams flew towards Dodoria and Zarbon knew that if he did not step in then Dodoria would be dead.

He burst forth and pushed the powerful blast with his Ki and forced it away from his partner. The beam flew to the side and levelled an entire mountain range.

The power of the two children plummeted back down from its great heights.

These brats had proven to be more than just a thorn in their side and they would do well to get rid of them.

"Dodoria, finish them" he commanded.

"Yeah, yeah" and the large warrior made his way to the two.

"There will always be a soft spot for you two at the bottom of my boot." He raised his foot to step on.

---------------------------------------------

The powerful Ki blast that hit him on the side knocked him off balance saving the two children.

Dodoria was disorientated for a second and he wondered around in a daze.

"Welcome to the party Vegeta" Zarbon said in a polite tone.

Dodoria looked at his powerful partner and saw where his eyes were trained. He followed Zarbon's line of sight and saw the Prince of all Saiyan's floating in the air. His arms were crossed and there was a fierce scowl on his face.

--------------------------------------------

Vegeta was scowling not at the two fighters but at the warrior who was floating across from him.

"Kakarot" he said under his breath.

He looked down and saw his child and Kakarot's child floating on a golden cloud. His attack on Dodoria was not necessary since the cloud sent by Kakarot had taken them away from the danger but it still felt good.

Vegeta could not stop the smirk that came to his lips as he anticipated the brutal fight to come.

The real fight was about to begin…

End of Chapter Four


	5. Chapter 5: Battle

DRAGONBALL Z

**DRAGONBALL Z**

**DESTINY\FATE VARIANCE**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**BATTLE**

"Nimbus!" Gohan exclaimed. He was surprised to see the golden cloud that had carried him so many times.

"It's so soft" Bra said. Gohan looked at her and realized that it was the first time she was on Nimbus.

He felt a strong and familiar energy and he looked up. "Hey son" his dad waved to him.

The greeting gave him a feeling of safety and hope. His dad was here and the bad guys would be stopped.

"You guys must have had a hard time, Krillin looks a little worse for wear" his dad said. He then began to walk towards Krillin and the golden cloud with its two passengers followed.

"Yeah Goku" Krillin said. "These guys are too much."

"Here have this." His dad took out something small and he broke it into three pieces and he gave it to each of them. "This is a senzu bean, it will give restore your energy." He informed them.

"But Goku shouldn't you take it, I mean you are going to need all the power you have and more for this fight." Krillin countered.

"I've already had mine so I'm fine."

Krillin finally relented and ate the bean.

Gohan also ate his and so did Bra.

"Hard candy" Krillin said as he loudly crunched the bean.

Gohan didn't understand why Krillin said that because it felt perfectly fine to him.

Suddenly Gohan felt his energy being restored and he now felt stronger than before.

Krillin stood up now completely restored and when he turned to Bra he saw her restored as well. Their clothes were slightly torn but they looked a lot better.

"Hey Goku, isn't that Vegeta over there." Krillin said while pointing to sky opposite them and sure enough floating in the air with his arms crossed was Bra's father.

Prince Vegeta.

"Yeah he made it back after all" Goku said. "At least now we have a chance."

"Yeah, if we all fight together we can take them." Krillin said.

"Yeah!" Gohan agreed.

"No, you guys have done enough. It's time for me and Vegeta to do our part. Krillin, what happened to the others?"

They all fell silent and bowed their heads as they remembered their fallen comrades.

"They're gone Goku. That pink guy Dodoria killed them. Yamcha, Chaotzu, Tien, Piccolo and Kami." Krillin said solemnly.

His dad's power level jumped and he visibly became angry when he heard the list of the fallen. Goku began to walk towards the two invaders.

"Daddy!" Gohan shouted trying to run after him but his hand was caught and he was pulled back. He was scared that his father would get hurt by the bad men and he wanted to go and help.

"No Gohan let them fight." He turned to look at the person restraining him.

"But… but" He stuttered.

"No buts" Bra said.

"I've known your dad a long time Gohan. We have to believe in him… and Vegeta." Krillin added.

Gohan looked back and saw that his dad now stood across from the two bad men. He also saw Bra's father float down to stand next to him.

They seemed to be saying something to each other.

The two Saiyan warriors finished speaking and then walked apart. The other alien moved forward to join his friend, and when he stopped next to him, he clicked his scouter.

He must have been very shocked by the reading he got from it because he took it off and crushed it.

Gohan suddenly felt the rising of two great powers, his father's and Bra's father's power levels were rising.

It was incredible and Gohan felt himself being pushed away by the great powers.

"Hey let's head back!" Krillin shouted and he retreated to the base of a small hill. Gohan and Bra both followed and they grabbed a hold of the hill side so that they would not be blown away.

After a while his dad and Vegeta finished powering up and faced their opponents.

And the fight began.

--

Krillin could not believe how powerful Goku and Vegeta had become. In the space of a year their power levels had increased incredibly.

Goku's fighting technique had also changed as well. It still had elements of the Kame-Sennin technique but the majority of the styles and moves were different.

_This __must be the style of King Kai_ Krillin thought to himself.

Goku was battling the green skinned alien and they seemed to be testing each other.

From what Krillin could see Vegeta's fighting style was brutal and efficient. Heavy blows followed by quick defences and counter attacks.

_This must be the style of the Saiyans_.

To Krillin's trained eye, Vegeta seemed to be toying with the pink warrior, Dodoria. They were fighting at a higher level than Goku and Zarbon and from what he could see, Vegeta was landing more decisive blows.

The first Ki blast came from Zarbon but it was not aimed at Goku, but at them.

"Kamehame-Ha!" Krillin quickly shouted as he released the powerful attack. There was a powerful explosion when the two attacks collided.

Krillin looked to Gohan and Bra to check that they were ok and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey you guy's let's get out of here. We don't want to get in the way of Goku's and Vegeta's fights." He told them.

"But I want to be here to help my father." Bra protested.

"The best way to help him is to not get in the way. These guys are a lot stronger than all of us together."

"We have to go, Bra-chan" Gohan quietly said.

The young daughter of the Saiyan Prince looked at to Gohan and nodded.

The children gathered their energy and slowly began to float into the air.

Krillin easily followed suit.

With one last look to the battle field, the three took off.

--

"Listen Vegeta" Dodoria said and he could not hide the pleading in his voice. "I can see now that you are a lot stronger than me, so how about I make you deal."

"What kind of a deal?" Vegeta questioned not hiding the condescension in his voice.

"If you let me go, I'll tell you how The Planet Vegeta was really destroyed." The pink alien said. "It wasn't a meteor shower like some have said."

"I've heard the rumours but no one has ever been willing to say anything more. For you to know the true fate of my people means you were involved. Tell me everything you know and I just might spare you"

"What kind of guarantee do I have" Dodoria said.

Vegeta powered up and charged at him. Dodoria brought his arms in front of him to defend himself but Vegeta easily passed through his guard and landed a powerful punch that sent the breath wheezing out of the large warrior.

"None, so you better start talking or I might just finish you right now." Vegeta said angrily.

"Sure, sure Vegeta, I'll tell you everything." Green blood oozed from his lips. "Your home planet wasn't destroyed by Meteors. There was a rebellion against Frieza led by your father. He came with the Elite of the Saiyan race"

Vegeta silently listened to the pink alien.

"They were as nothing to Frieza. He killed your father without any effort and obliterated the rest of them as easily... and then he took out your planet"

The truth had finally come out from someone who had witnessed it first hand. The rumours were true. Frieza had committed genocide.

Vegeta realized a deep and significant truth that it was no different to what he and his father had done to other races. That self knowledge awoke something deep within him.

"Thank you Dodoria, for telling me truth-" He said quietly and he was about to continue when the Pink alien gathered his power and blasted off.

Vegeta traced the energy signature as it moved away. He absently raised his hand. "Thank you….and goodbye" the invisible wave of super charged Ki travelled through the air and found its target. Upon contact it infused his being at a cellular level and such was its power that the pink alien could do nothing to stave it off.

"BANG!" Vegeta shouted as his opponent died in a fiery explosion.

Vegeta bowed his head.

--

Goku was having a tough time with his opponent. The green alien was incredibly powerful and his Kaioken was barely keeping up. He had felt the demise of the pink alien and he thought it unfortunate that Vegeta had killed him. Taking his life did not redress the imbalance he caused by killing his friends, and Goku wished that Vegeta could understand that.

He was at two times Kaioken and he was trading vicious blows with Zarbon. If things progressed the way they were going he might have to go against King Kai's wishes.

Goku ducked a powerful left hook and countered with an uppercut that sent Zarbon flying higher. The hit had been strong and it was just the break he needed. Not wasting any time he quickly flew up and appeared in front of his unguarded opponent and he let loose with a flurry of punches and kicks ending in an axe kick that sent him crashing to the ground.

He slowly floated down breathing a bit hard due to the Kaioken.

"You surprise me, Saiyan. To have pushed me this far is no easy feat." He said with a smirk on his face. "But this is the end of the LINE!" he shouted in a completely different voice.

The Ki build up was instantaneous and Goku was shocked to see the alien transform into a hulking monster.

"So how do u like my new look" Zarbon said in a deep and gravely voice. He did not wait for a reply. Instead he lifted his arm and opened his hand. Ki was rapidly building up in the centre of his palm.

At the peak of the Ki build up Zarbon brought his left arm to brace his right and he screamed his attack.

"**Star breaker**"

The Golden beam of Ki was too quick and he was about to be engulfed. Goku sensed something even faster then the blast approach him from the side and his eyes widened as that something resolved into his young son. Gohan collided with him at the last possible moment and they were both removed from the path of the blast.

"You are such a pitiful Saiyan, needing the help of a child. How low has the once proud Saiyan race" Zarbon was cut off as Vegeta barrelled into him with a fist to the gut. The Saiyan prince's movements in that moment had been too fast for even Goku to see.

With his free hand Vegeta gathered Ki and he moulded it using an unknown technique. Goku saw it turn a brilliant white. With a thrust Vegeta sent it high into the sky and Goku could not look away from it.

His body jolted involuntarily as a vaguely familiar energy infused it. He was suddenly assaulted by the memory of his grandfather looking up at him, and he saw that his grandpa was so small or rather he was so big….and he was angry. Rage was his primary instinct overriding everything and he turned it to the only living creature in the vicinity…

Before the memory could continue he heard a voice

"_Kakarot, hear my words. I have used a technique that will turn the tide in this battle but it relies on the connection you have with your child. Master the instincts that have surfaced within you and calm him"_

Goku absorbed the words and he did as he was told. He used all of his years of martial arts training to not give in to his instincts and emotions but to instead master them. Goku tore his eyes away from the light and turned to his son. He was shocked to see that Gohan had grown into a huge monkey but what was more shocking was that he was the same size as Gohan.

Goku tried to speak but all that came out of his mouth were guttural growls and snarls.

Goku closed his eyes and concentrated on his son and he felt a psychic connection reach out to Gohan.

"_Gohan!"_ he mentally shouted as he realized how chaotic the mental situation of his son was. "_Listen to me Gohan, you have to calm down!"_

The giant monkey that was Gohan turned and tried to attack him but Goku found that his speed was still the same even though his size had increased. He used the advantage of having his mental faculties to appear in front of his son bringing their eyes in direct contact.

His next psychic contact was given more strength due to their eye contact and Goku was able to get through to Gohan.

"_Gohan, my son! Remember who you are and come back to us!"_ He commanded and slowly the rage in his son's eyes died.

"_FATHER!_" Gohan mentally acknowledged and the force of that call sent Goku stumbling back.

Suddenly something stung Goku on his leg and he looked down to see smoke rising from it. He was still disorientated slightly by his great height but he was slowly getting used to it. He then looked in the direction that the attack had come from and saw Zarbon battling with Vegeta and off to the side he could see another giant monkey.

"_Bra_" Gohan said in his mind and Goku recognized subtle attributes that identified the blue haired daughter of Vegeta and Bulma.

From what he could see Vegeta was doing well against Zarbon and the alien warrior was being overwhelmed slowly but surely. Goku began to approach them after making sure that Gohan was ok.

As he was about to reach them Vegeta powered up.

"GALLICK GUN!" He screamed his attack as a purple aura surrounded him. "FIRE!" he released a Ki attack similar to the Kamehameha and it impacted with Zarbon. The explosion was incredible but Goku could sense that Zarbon was still alive due to the attack being slightly blanketed by Vegeta to avoid damaging the earth.

When the smoke cleared the alien warrior was laying on his back, with his transformation reversed, his armour torn and his body bloody and bruised.

"For assisting in the annihilation of the Saiyan home world, I sentence you to death, minion of Frieza." Vegeta extended his giant hand and a burst of energy gathered in it.

Goku moved and grabbed the extended arm.

"This fight is over Vegeta. You can't kill him in cold blood"

"Let go of me Kakarot" Vegeta said calmly.

"**DOUBLE** **ELEGANT BUSTER!"** The sudden scream interrupted the two Saiyan's confrontation.

--

The two had let down their guard and pain ripped through them as the energy attack cut through their bodies.

Zarbon was breathing heavily from the attack he had launched but he managed to smirk at his success. He then sent an energy ball into the ball of light Vegeta had launched earlier thus destroying it.

The transformations of the Saiyan's were reversed and they were both at his mercy. Zarbon painfully flew towards them to finish them off.

Before he got to them a powerful kick connected with his jaw sending him flying into the ground. He got out of the small crater and looked at his assailant.

"Ah Vegeta's royal brat" he said. "A good effort but all it did was buy you a few seconds more." She crossed her arms over her head and gathered energy. "KASENKO-HA!" He flew out of the crater at his top speed and dodged the powerful attack. The resulting explosion confirmed that he could have died from the attack had it hit.

Zarbon approached the young warrior who was clearly finished after launching such an attack. He charged up a ball of energy in his hand and shot it at her. The attack was too fast and would wipe her out in an instant but the blast was deflected at the very last moment by a more powerful one.

Zarbon traced its origins and he was surprised to see the other Saiyan brat. Although Zarbon could not feel energy like these Earthlings he could still see its effects. Around the boy a white aura of power had erupted. His energy blew around him like a gale force wind.

"Don't hurt BRA!" he said softly but Zarbon still heard him. His power erupted in a flash so bright that Zarbon had to look away. When it died down he looked back to child but he was not there.

A feeling of panic suddenly came over him. In his weakened state he would not be able to handle anything the child could throw at him.

"masenko-" He turned around to see the boy floating above him with his arms crossed over his head. "Ha!" The words were so soft that Zarbon struggled to hear them but he saw the results as a large Golden beam hurtled towards him...

--

When the attack hit there was a huge explosion felt all over the world. Goku was lying next to Vegeta and they were both badly wounded.

"We're pathetic Kakarot." The Saiyan Prince grumbled. "Your brat keeps saving us as if we are the children"

"Yeah I know what you mean" Goku agreed, "I'm just glad to be alive. Although I think it's going to take a long time for us to get healed."

The sound of an aircraft was heard.

"It looks like the cavalry is here you guys" Krillin's voice drifted down to him.

Goku was too injured to move. "Krillin, I'm glad you are alright. Just do me a favour can you check on Gohan and Bra"

"I'm fine, Mr. Goku" the small voice of the Saiyan Princess said. "Although Gohan-kun is passed out"

Goku heard her move closer to her father.

"You fought well Bra" Vegeta conceded. "Take me defeat as a lesson. Never let your guard down"

"Yes father" she said respectively.

The aircraft landed and Goku heard a scream. "WHERE ARE MY BOYS"

"_Chi-Chi"_ Goku initiated their mental link. "_I'm fine for now, please check on Gohan"_

"_Goku, what happened to my baby?"_ Chi-Chi required in panic

"_He saved the world..._" Goku simply replied.

--

Sometime Later

Gohan looked at the large Namekian Spaceship and he was happy that they were leaving soon.

"This is the ship he came in so long ago" Bra said next to him.

"Yeah from the time before they separated" Gohan agreed

"Let's just hope we make it to Namek without too much trouble"

"Of course we will" Bulma said enthusiastically coming out of the Capsule Corp building with his mom close behind.

Their dad's were in Saiyan Rejuvenation chambers constructed by Bulma with Vegeta providing the Blue prints. Although the process would heal them quicker than most conventional methods it would still take a few more days due to the extent of their injuries. Their fathers would be following in Reverse engineered Saiyan space pods courtesy of Bra's Grandfather once they were healed up.

For now Bra, her mom, his mom, Krillin and he were going to Namek to find the Dragonball's there and wish back their friends.

"OK everyone let's get in" Chi-Chi said while absently smoothing out his hair.

"Hey Kiddo" Bulma called. "Care to do the honours?"

Gohan nodded his appreciation and spoke the Namekian word for 'Another World'

"**Piccolo**"

END OF CHAPTER FIVE


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